THE PREPARATION OP .COPRA 127 



the Javanese, who have demonstrated their super- 

 iority in this work. 



At the drying stage women and children are em- 

 ployed to turn the copra and keep it well exposed 

 to the sun. Living being cheap, consisting as it does 

 mainly of fish and rice, the wages paid to these 

 workers are extremely low. 



Mr. Herbert S. Walker, a Government expert, 

 who has devoted special attention to coconut 

 cultivation in the principal regions, notably the 

 Philippine Islands, tells us that the time needed for 

 drying copra by these respective methods is as 

 follows : 



Time. 

 Sun ... ... ... ... ... ... 5 days 



Grill (over bamboo) ... ... ... ... 10 to 12 hours 



Hot-air chamber 3J to 4 



Rotary hot air 2 to 3 



He points out that the disadvantages of grill 

 drying are that the creosote and other substances 

 carried in the smoke from the husks and shells 

 permeate the entire mass of the copra meat, so 

 that it becomes unfit for the important purposes 

 served by the unsmoked article, notably in connec- 

 tion with the manufacture of nut butter, edible 

 oils, etc. As a matter of fact, smoke-dried copra 

 is only fit for making soap, candles, and other 

 similar commodities. Fire drying, too, is always 

 more or less uneven, some of the pieces being 



